close you yes, sleep tight
by Nolongerbeating88
Summary: Sometimes you just need to make the hardest thing to set a soul free.


Tifa lay bleeding on the ground. A sword was struck in her stomach. She continues to cough blood. But she knows she's not gonna die. Not yet. Not until he comes.

She was temporarily on trance. He heart void. Or is she just convincing it to be void. To numb the pain, to kill the soul or to forget the reason of it all but whatever it is, it is the man who makes her sad but makes her live at the same time.

She recalls the days when they were just kids. How cloud made her smile. How he was her knight. How the reason for everything. Until now he is still the reason of a lot of things. The reason why her heart is beating and why it's bleeding and the reason why the sword is struck in her heart. He was the man who overcome her fears, drenched all her tears and vanquished all his promises in the end.

But this is what she wanted. To know how he really feels.

She just ran away from a terrible fight.

_She was running fast. She would not let cloud go again this time. She finally saw him and hugged his torso before he could go. _

"_Cloud don't go!" it was literally begging. But he shoved her hands of._

"_I need to go. I'm sorry tifa. But I need to find a way to bring Aeris back." _

"_But you know that Sephirot is back! Who would protect Marlene and Denzel then?" _

"_Vincent and the others are here. They are strong enough to protect the kids."_

"_Don't you care about them?"_

"_I do but Aeris-_

"_Aeris? Cloud AERIS IS DEAD!"_

_What comes next surprised Tifa. His palm made an impact with her cheeks. It was hard enough to make her lips bleed. _

"_DON'T JOT THAT INFRONT OF ME TIFA! I KNOW THAT FACT AND ITS MY FAULT WHY IT HAPPED SO I WOULD CORRECT EVEN IF IT TAKES ME TO OOSE EVERYTHING!"_

"_Even us?" her question was a whisper but audible enough for him to hear._

"_Aeris is the most important person in my life."_

_With those words cloud walked to his motorcycle and speed up. _

_She was left in the woods. Shock at what happened. Tears fall in her face and she did not even lift a hand to wipe them. The pain is already to much and she could not bare it anymore. She as down on the ground and she banged her fist on the granite rocks causing it to bleed. _

"_YOU KNOW WHAT CLOUD? SOMETIMES I WISH I WAS THE ONE WHO DIED! MAYBE I WOULD BE THE ONE THAT YOU WOULD BE MISSING I DIED RIGHT? HUH CLOUD?" she screamed as hard as she could. She continued to sub hard until she heard someone approach her._

"_He left you?" came a blunt question, said in a very cold manner._

"_What do you want Sephirot?"_

"_You don't fear me? Funny you are here unafraid of death yet very weak in front of the grim reaper himself."_

_She did not answer and she wondered why she did not even attempt to give a fight. Maybe the pain numbed her entity she lost the will get up. _

"_I can help you." _

"_no one could help me"_

"_I can help you know whether Cloud truly cares or not"_

"_Its proven that he does not."_

"_We'll have to try" With that Sephirot pierced a sword in her hear. Tifa coughed blood. And he herad him say "That sword is cloud."_

"This sword is Cloud?" She said to her self as she lifted her hands up to touch the blade.

Soon she heard Cloud's motor coming. Then he was running nearer and was confronted by Sephirot.

"Sephirot!" He said as he lifted the Choboco but was stopped by shock when Sephirot took a sideward step only to reveal a bleeding tifa.

"Tifa! What have you done?"

"what have I done? Why don't you ask what have you done?" Sephirot chuckled darkly as Cloud gritted his teeth. " I'll give the choice if you want her dead or not. If you let her like that, she will live but will continue to feel the pain." He said glancing at Tifa for emphasis that she is really in pain as she was bleeding and crying and making sobs and sometimes screams of pain. "But, if you pull the sword out, the pain will stop however Tifa will die." You choose, he said as he disappeared.

Cloud was torn. "God help me." Was all he said.

"Tifa continue to lay there in pain. He knelt before her and she was not even looking at him.

"Tifa we need to get some he-

"No. Its okay. Just let the sword be. "

"Why?" A rather confused Cloud asked as he touched the sword only to make Tifa cry out I pain. He let go in panic.

"Tifa we need to do something! I don't want to see you hurt!"

"Oh yeah? Is that the reason why every time you leave you won't give a glance at me because you don't want to see me hurt or is it just because Aeris was there in front of you, you don't give a damn of what's behind you?"

"Tifa that's not true you know I care about you."

"Lair! You just like this sword!" She said as she could feel her heart hurt literally and hurt emotionally. "Whenever you are in my heart you only give me pain. You only make me sad! You always make my heart bleed! But if you separate from my heart Cloud, I guarantee you! I will surely die! And I love you so much I rather keep the pain than missing you so bad it already hurts too much!"

Cloud was on shock. Then he bowed down his head and leaned on her. Tifa's eyes widened. Then he touched the top of his head.

"Remember the time when you promised me that you will always protect me? Why did you forgot that?"

"I did not. I was just to weak to fulfill it. I joined the SOLDIRS so you would notice me."

"But in the process you fell for her and forgot me instead." She said a the emotional pain overcame the physical.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to."

There was no reply. Tifa stared at the sky. The dawn I breaking and soon the sun will take over the duty of luna. Tifa was still choking in pain. And finally, he pulled the sword out. Not wanting to see her suffer and cry and hurt. He will be out of her life for good if it will set her soul free. Before her eyes completely shut from the world she knew she gave Cloud a smile and said" I wish you just let it stay. I love you so much."

Cloud kissed her lips wanting her but knowing that she had left thinking that he don't love her enough. But the truth? He love her enough to let her go.


End file.
